MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) — The hunt for the gunman who killed 10 people at a ballroom dance club during a Lunar New Year celebration ended Sunday, authorities said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he fled. I discovered that People blocked his second attempt to fire.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he identified the man as 72-year-old Fu Kang Tran and said no other suspects were on the run. It added that 10 more people were injured.
Luna didn’t know the exact ages of the victims, but said they all appeared to be over 50. Seven of the injured remained in hospital, he said.
The sheriff added that the suspect was carrying what he described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was found in the van where Trang was found dead. .
Late Saturday shootings in Monterey Park’s predominantly Asian-American community overshadowed New Year’s festivities It sent a wave of terror into the Asian-American community in the Los Angeles area. Other cities sent additional officers to watch over the celebrations.
Also at a press conference, Congresswoman Judy Chu said she still had questions about the attack but hoped residents would feel safe.
“The community was horrified thinking they shouldn’t go to the event because there was a shooter,” Chu said, adding, “You are no longer in danger.”
“What is this shooter’s motive?” she said. “Did he suffer from mental illness? Was he a domestic violence abuser? How did he get these guns? Was it through legal means?” ?”
Early on Sunday, law enforcement officers swarmed the van and boarded it after surrounding it for hours before entering. A human body appeared to fall over the steering wheel and was later removed from the vehicle.
Luna has previously released a photo of an Asian man who is believed to be the suspect.
The van was found about 22 miles (34.5 km) from its second location in Torrance, another community with a large Asian-American population.
According to Luna, the shoot took place at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wease said officers arrived on the scene within three minutes of receiving the call Sunday night. Found trying to escape from every door.
“When they entered the parking lot, it was chaos,” Wiese said.
About 20 to 30 minutes after the initial attack, the perpetrators broke into the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby Alhambra. However, according to Luna, the people snatched the weapon from him before he could escape.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee the Alhambra in such a vehicle.
A short time later, the SWAT team members entered the van and examined its contents before leaving.
The massacre was the fifth mass murder in the country this month. It was also the worst attack since his May 24th at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where he killed 21 people.
Monterey Park is a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles with a population of about 60,000, mostly made up of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The shooting occurred in the heart of the downtown area, where red lanterns adorned the streets for the Chinese New Year celebrations. A police car was parked near a large banner that read, “Happy New Year!”
The celebration at Monterey Park is one of the largest in California. In the past few years he has planned his two-day celebration which has been attended by as many as 100,000 people. But authorities canceled Sunday’s event following the shooting.
Tony Lai, 35, of Monterey Park, went for an early morning walk and was stunned to discover that the noise he heard at night was gunshots.
“I thought it was fireworks. I thought it might have something to do with Chinese New Year,” he said. “Also, there aren’t many fireworks here. It’s strange to see this. It’s really safe here. It’s in the middle of the city, but it’s very safe.”
Win Liau, 57, who lives about two blocks from his Monterey Park studio, said he was shocked to see such crimes, especially during New Year’s celebrations.
“The Chinese consider Lunar New Year to be very special,” she said.
She took pictures of the activities outside the studio and sent them to relatives and friends in China “to let them know how crazy the United States is with all these mass shootings, even in the New Year.”
Associated Press/USA Today database A study of genocide in the United States shows that 2022 was one of the worst years in the United States, with 42 attacks. This is the second highest number since the tracker was created in 2006. .
The latest riots come two months after five people were killed at a Colorado Springs nightclub.
President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have been briefed on the situation, people familiar with the matter said. Biden said he and his wife, Jill Biden, were thinking of the casualties and directed federal officials to assist with the investigation.
The Star Ballroom Dance Studio is located a few blocks from City Hall on Garvey Avenue, the main street in Monterey Park. Garvey Avenue is dotted with strip malls of small businesses with signage in both English and Chinese. Both Cantonese and Mandarin are widely spoken, Chinese holidays are celebrated, and Chinese films are regularly shown in the city.
The business offered dance lessons from tango to rumba to foxtrot and rented space for events. According to the website, an event called “Star Night” was held on Saturdays from 8pm to 11:30pm.
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San Diego AP writer Julie Watson contributed to this report.